Two men at the Montezuma County landfill were exposed to toxic chemicals yesterday while loading trash into a baler machine at the facility’s main bay.

The two were transported to Southwest Memorial, where they were treated in a decontamination tent erected for the emergency. According to reports from Southwest Memorial, four 14-pound bags of chloropicrin, a type of insecticide used for fumigating stored grain, broke open in the baling process, contaminating those nearby. Phosphoric acid was also identified at the incident location.

"The two were pretty sick, but they’re stable now," reported Dr. Michael Duehrssen, emergency department director. "One was coughing up a little blood, and they both had abdominal pain, difficulty breathing and irritated eyes"

Eight emergency-room employees were exposed to the deadly chemical while attending to the victims. The ER was closed off for some time yesterday afternoon to decontaminate employees and the room. Over-exposure to the insecticide irritates skin and mucous membranes and can cause symptoms ranging from dizziness to lung edema or unconsciousness. In extreme cases it can be fatal. Symptoms can be delayed for 48 hours.

An investigation is under way by the sheriff department and HAZMAT officers to determine where the substance was picked up. Garbage-collection logs were being analyzed to aid officials in that effort. It is illegal to dispose of hazardous materials in household trash.